


Newsies One-Shots

by Whovianimeniac



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Cute notes, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Pictures, Probably a bit(a lot) ooc, Support Groups
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-09-13 01:26:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16882986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whovianimeniac/pseuds/Whovianimeniac
Summary: This is a group of semi-interconnected one-shots for newsies, that I am writing for a friend. This revolves around the Jack/Crutchie ship. (Changed from platonic to innocent romance. <3)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whatsurdamageemmi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatsurdamageemmi/gifts).



> This was to fill a prompt given to me by a friend... "Write a fanfic about how Jack and Crutchie met."

He was always alone. As a child he was the one who had to earn money for his dysfunctional family, and he never had enough of a childhood to make friends.

 

Jack Kelly was never the type of kid to give up on his family, although he would receive beatings from his father and never a glance from his mother, and he always worked his hardest for them. He sacrificed his childhood for them… 

 

And it was at age 11 that it all went downhill.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He had finally finished his work for the day, and was surprised to see how early it was. It would usually be well past sunset by the time that he had finished selling all of his papers, but today had a good headline. “US President Cleveland grants amnesty to Mormon polygamy” read the final paper as Jack handed it to the tall man standing before him. 

 

He was in the park near the edge of the city, knowing that rich gentlemen were more likely to be taking a calm stroll here after their evening meal. Seeing as how it was so early in the day- probably an hour more until sunset- he decided he might stay here for a bit, to sit and simply relax would be an amazing treat.

 

He was sitting alone, his fingers running through the cool grass, eyes closed when he heard the timid voice.

 

“H-hello sir, I have some papers here, if y-you would like to buy one…?” It was the voice of a boy, about the same age as him, although he looked smaller. He had his hand stretched out to Jack, a newspaper held in his loose grip.

 

“Why would I want one?” Jack asked the boy, “I am only a kid! I sell ‘em, not read ‘em!”

 

The boy was trembling, his blond hair covering his teary eyes. He whimpered the tiniest bit before he looked back up at Jack, a determined twinkle in his eyes. 

 

“Well sir,” He began. “Have ya’ ever tried?”

 

‘Huh?’ Jack thought, confused. “Tried what?”

 

“Readin’.” The boy stated, as though it was the obvious answer. “I’ve heard that it is an enjoyable pastime.”

 

Jack stared for a moment at the boy-his eyes wide. “R-readin’? You asked if I…Readin’?” Jack began to laugh, hands clutched close to his chest as he doubled over.

 

“Y-you really asked that! You did!” Jack said, in between his giggle fits. “THAT is funny!”

 

Surprisingly enough, throughout Jack’s laughing fit the boy had been staring at him, as though it was HIM who had spoken of madness!

 

When Jack was finally done laughing he smiled up at the boy. “Thanks for the laugh!” He said, still the slightest bit out of breath. 

 

“Ok.. um, so is that a no to the paper?” The boy asked Jack, paper still held out towards him. 

 

Jack bit his lip, his eyes focused on the paper. He thought to the weight of the coins he held in his pocket, that he needed to feed his family. Then he truly looked at the boy. He was skinny, even more so than Jack and his clothes hung off his frame like loose skin. He was in a horrid state, and likely was all alone.

 

Jack sighed at the ground, which was comfortable. He raised himself from the ground, and reached into his pocket, pulling out one of his pennies and handing it to the boy, taking the newspaper in his hand. 

 

“Here.” He said as he held his hand back out. “You wanna come with me?” 

 

Jack had said it, without expecting the boy to actually take hold of his hand and smile at him. As he looked into the boy’s eyes, he saw an unwavering trust that he had never seen in the eyes of any person ever before.

 

Jack smiled at him, this boy was an enigma.

 

“My name is Jack. What’s yours?” He said as he began to walk towards his home.

 

“Crutchie. My name is Crutchie Morris.” The boy said, a sprinkle of laughter behind his words.

 

“Crutchie, huh? Well,” Jack said, hesitant to speak his next words. “Can- Can we be friends?”

 

“Yes!”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was within a week after meeting Crutchie that his Mother died. It was consumption, that’s what he was told anyway. After her death his father got worse. The beatings came daily, and Jack did all he could to protect his new friend from the raging fist that his father would point towards him.

 

Jack put up with the beatings, and kept up the fragile balance that his family was standing on.   
It lasted a month.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crutchie had been living with Jack from the moment they met, and he had been there when Jack’s mother had died. From all of Jack’s stories of her, he knew she wasn’t the best mother, but he also knew that Jack strived for her affection. He knew that Jack had been close to breaking down and was now holding on by only a thread.

 

He was also there when that thread finally broke.

 

Jack’s father had been ignoring them for about a week when it happened. His father had been going out to the bar every night and then coming home in a mindless state, he never said a word to Jack or Crutchie. He just sat there, and for Jack, it was heartbreaking to see his father in such a state.

 

The end was quick. That is what the doctors told Jack after he had found his father. The hanging was quick, and relatively painless. Crutchie knew that that had to be a lie. The week that had passed before his death had been torture for both the father and Jack, and he knew that this was not going to stop hurting for a long time. 

 

It was that very day that Crutchie realized that Jack had finally broken. 

 

Jack was in the park, probably had been all day, in the very same spot that the two of them had both met a little over a month ago. He had tear stains running down his face, and he hadn’t seemed to have noticed Crutchie was there yet.

 

“Here.” Crutchie began, sitting down beside Jack. “Want to come with me?”

 

Jack looked up at Crutchie, surprised. At what he was surprised was unknown to Crutchie.

 

“That is what you said to me when we first met.” Crutchie continued. “Right before you became my best friend. I saw that invitation as an offer of protection, home, family.. Love.”

 

Crutchie looked into Jack’s swollen red eyes and smiled at him.

 

“I am making the same offer now.”

 

Jack looked at him, tears flowing once more. He then looked away and croaked out his next words.

 

“C-can we be friends?”

 

“The best, forever.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Warning*  
> There is child abuse in this chapter!   
> The prompt was, "Jack must say "I ain't got nothing, if I don't got Crutchy!"

During the month after Jack’s mother died, Jack always tried to protect Crutchy. He protected Crutchy from the cold of the night, the hunger of starvation, and his father. Jack brought him home, and tried to keep him innocent. 

 

Jack didn’t know Crutchy’s past, and he didn’t need to. The idea that there was someone he had to protect was what kept him going. Jack knew that he couldn’t save Crutchy from everything-events often happened that were out of his control-but he also knew that the thread of his sanity was relying on this one boy. 

 

Jack couldn’t protect Crutchy from everything, but Crutchy didn’t want him to know that.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It began about 3 days after Jack’s mother died. Crutchy had come down with a cold, and Jack couldn’t afford to stay home and watch over him. Money had been tight lately, and what with Jack’s father spending a small fortune on his booze habits they couldn’t spare Jack for even a day.

 

Crutchy was laying down on Jack’s bed, a thin brown blanket pulled over him, up to his waist. His head was aching, and he had thin trails of tears running down his cheeks. The pain was enough to almost knock him out of action completely. 

 

His eyes were just beginning to close when he heard a loud crash from the small room that was beside the room he laid in. His eyes were wide open again, tears blurring his eyes as he looked to the door. 

 

He saw the door open, the creaking of it’s un-oiled hinges a screech in his ears. He could see through the tears that a hulking form had stumbled through the doorway, heaving breath echoing in the tiny room.

 

“H-hello?” The small boy asked, his voice shaking due to fever.

 

“What’chou doin’ ‘ere?” The man said in a drunken slur, hands moving towards the boy.

 

Crutchy instinctively flinched from the husky voice, pulling himself into a ball. It was Jack’s father. 

 

Crutchy was many things, but he wasn’t ignorant. He knew that the bruises that Jack was always wearing weren’t due to a clumsy nature-he knew Jack was really quite nimble-and he knew that not all of the bruises had been meant for Jack. Crutchy saw that Jack was protecting him, and developed a fear of the heartless adult.

 

It was instinctive by this point for him to flinch away from the adult, and the stench of alcohol that permeated the room drove him into mental and emotional distress. Crutchy pulled the covers further up his body, curling into a ball to protect himself.

 

What Crutchy didn’t know was that it was this action that incited the rage of the drunken man. The man shakily walked forward, his eyes burning with intoxication and rage, his hands grasping for the bundle that was Crutchy.

 

“You little-” He said, grasping the cover and throwing it off of the boy. Crutchy gasped in fear and surprise, his hands futilely reaching up to cover his face, but he was too late. The man had clenched his fists and upon reaching the boy, he had thrown the punch blindly into the bundle.Crutchy released a cry of pain, tears streaming from eyes that were blind to the world around him.

 

Freed from the covers and too shocked to move, Crutchy couldn’t fight when the man grabbed his neck, lifting his small body from the bed. Crutchy was pinned to the wall-sobs catching in his throat, choking him. 

 

“P-please…” He said, voice almost indiscernible due to sickness and lack of air through his windpipes. The man was clenching his neck hard enough for Crutchy to know that he was leaving marks.

 

The man leaned in close to Crutchy’s face, a wobbly grin plastered on a face that was hardly visible through red and bleary eyes. He heard the boy’s plea, and disregarded it.

 

“Awww~” The man yelled in Crutchy’s ear. “Not so brave, now that lil’ Jackie ain’t ‘ere ta take the beatin’ for ya, huh?”

 

His grip grew firmer on the boy’s neck, and Crutchy had almost no room left to breathe.

 

“Turned my own son against me..” Crutchy could barely hear the man’s voice over the ringing in his ears. “Time’s come ta pay the price..” 

 

Just as Crutchy’s eyes began to roll into his head, the pressure on his neck was alleviated and his lungs drank in the dour-smelling air, like a dying man to water. Crutchy fell to the ground, gasping and could barely make out Jack’s screams before he passed out.

 

“Crutchy, No!”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Crutchy woke up he was back in the bed, a cool rag soothing the bruises on his neck and a blanket up to his neck. He remembered hearing Jack’s cry, and looked to the side of him.

 

Jack was sitting against the wall, breathing deep and hair tousled. With Jack being asleep Crutchy could clearly see the bruises in clear red on his face and arms, and knew that they came from protecting him. He saw no sign of Jack’s father, and knew that Jack must have beaten him away.

 

Crutchy sat up, the rag falling from his purple neck and reached out to the only slightly older boy.

 

“Jack.” Crutchy said softly, voice hoarse. “Wake up.”

 

Thankfully what little prompting Crutchy had done was enough to wake the sleeping boy. Jack looked up blearily, hair falling into his eyes as he blinked away sleep.

 

“...Crutchy?” Jack asked sleepily, before he seemed to remember something and jumped up. “Crutchy! You’re awake!”

 

Crutchy winced at the sudden loud noise, but nodded his head. “W-what h-h-happened?” He asked in a slow and halting voice.

 

In that moment Jack seemed to age many years. He slumped down beside the bed, clasping one of Crutchy’s hands in his.

 

“I thought he had killed you.” Jack began. “I walked in and you were dangling from his hands by the neck and I-... I pushed him away, but he hit me down. I almost couldn’t protect you.”

 

Crutchy could tell by his words that Jack had almost lost more than just a friend’s life, but his own as well. 

 

“I-I managed to drive him away, but…” Jack looked up at Crutchy, and Crutchy couldn’t tell that this was the same boy who had seemed so ancient mere seconds ago. Before him was a mere child, on the brink of breaking down. “I don’t have anything if I don’t have you, Crutchy.”

 

Crutchy looked at this older boy, and knew that although he had been protecting Crutchy, it was only Crutchy who could help him. Crutchy pulled gently on Jack’s hands, encouraging him to sit on the edge of the bed Crutchie was laying up on. 

 

When Jack finally sat on the edge of the bed, Crutchy pulled him close into a hug, careful not to aggravate his bruises. The older boy was surprised, and stiffened in Crutchy’s arms. For a moment he stayed that way, until he finally released a breath and leaned into the hug. His eyes welled up with tears.

 

Crutchy soothed his hair back and cooed softly in his ear, tears streaming down both of their cheeks, he pulled back and smiled.

 

“We have everything if we have each other.”

 

The two boys fell asleep in each other’s arms, faint smiles touching their lips. 

 

It was a promise.


	3. More of the first universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jack's dad's A+ parenting/ Crutchie's leg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Newest prompt from my friend. Takes place in the same universe the one with Jack and Crutchie's first meeting was in.

Jack was sitting with Crutchie on the hill they had met on, watching the sun set below the trees. The two were silent, neither speaking nor looking at one another. Crutchie had his head down, and his arms wrapped around one of his knees. His other knee was placed flat down on the ground, a cast wrapped around his knee. 

Two days. It had only been two days since Jack had first walked into his house to find his only friend being strangled by his father. Two days that he had been working extra hard, so he could help Crutchie get better. Two days of forgetting that Crutchie wasn’t safe there.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crutchie was recovering.

It had been about one and a half days since Jack’s father had come into the room and attempted to kill him. They hadn’t seen him since that moment, but Crutchie was watching for him with a fierce sort of paranoia. He would cower under the covers whenever he heard the sound of something outside his doorway. 

It was that day when he heard a rustle outside the door. He was curled up in his blanket and had been drowsing in and out of consciousness for the past few hours. The sound was what had woken him, or at least he thought it was, he couldn’t be certain.

He stood-his body groaning at the sudden movement-and walked over to the door, glancing around the the doorframe. He had to stifle a scream at what he saw.

He was back, Jack’s accursed father was standing in the main room, his hand buried into a large pot. It was about a week after Crutchie had come home with Jack when he had discovered what the pot was sitting in the room for. That pot contained all the savings that Jack and his mother had been saving up, under the hope of someday getting out of this city and starting a life elsewhere.

He had seen Jack place any small bit of money they could save into that pot-his last bit of hope-and now Jack’s father was taking that hard earned hope. Crutchie was furious, he hated how vividly he could see what would happen when Jack came home to find that money gone. He could see Jack’s face fall, his shoulders slump, and the fake smile that would show up on his face would be the worst. 

Crutchie clutched his hands into fists, watching as that man took everything Jack was fighting for, and he snapped.

“Hey!” He yelled at the man, watching him drunkenly turn and stare groggily at the small and defiant boy. “Tha- that’s not y-yours!”

The man’s expression turned from one of confusion to one of rage. The man’s emotioned seemed to be heightened in a form of intoxication. He stumbled over to Crutchie and raised his arm to take a swing at the small boy, but his vision blurred and he missed. The man fell to the ground.

“Who do ya’ thin’ ya’ ‘re?” He slurred, standing back up straight. “This ‘s my house, ya’ lil’ runt…”

Crutchie gritted his teeth and glared at the man, preparing for a fight.

“That m-money isn’t yours!” He said, standing his ground. “That is Jack’s last hope of getting out of here!”

Crutchie had tears burning his eyes, although he didn’t know if he was crying from fear or emotion. Crutchie looked into the man’s eyes and saw him sneer. 

“N’ what if I say no’?” He made a show of waving the money in front of Crutchie and then shoving it into his pocket. 

Crutchie didn’t hesitate, he charged at the man. Crutchie had the advantage of surprise and managed to knock the man back onto his butt and punch his face. Although he had just been hit the man looked less pained then enraged, he grabbed at Crutchie’s head, attempting to force it down as he kicked the boy’s stomach. 

Crutchie cried out, bile rising in his mouth. He coughed out his feeble breakfast, the bile landing on the male’s shoes. The man released Crutchie and backed away, his face contorted in disgust.

“Ya’ lil’ rat!” The man raised his leg, eyeing the mess that was staining his boot. He looked between his boot and Crutchie- who had scooted back a couple of feet- and then he smiled cruelly. “Yer gonna pay fer that runt!”

The man walked the distance Crutchie had moved in a matter of seconds. He stood in front of Crutchie, looming over the small frightened boy. Crutchie had trails of tears running down his cheeks and bile running down his chin. The man raised his foot above Crutchie’s leg, smiled, and brought his foot down. Hard.

 

And repeated it many times.

 

Crutchie lost count of how many times the man had smashed his leg before he passed out, but the last thing he heard was the drunken man’s maniacal laughter. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack found Crutchie long before he awoke. When Jack walked into the room to find his friend lying on the floor, leg twisted in an unnatural way, and dead to the world, he immediately ran to his side. He checked to see if Crutchie was breathing, and let out a sigh of relief at finding that he was.

Jack looked around the tattered room, noting the empty pot and the vomit and blood staining the floor. It was not hard for him to determine what had happened, and he held Crutchie close as he began to cry. He had cried more in this week than he had in his entire life.

Jack gently picked Crutchie up, struggling under the small boy’s weight; Crutchie may be light, but so was Jack. Jack moved out the door, making his way towards the main street, he had to find a doctor.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crutchie looked down at his bandaged leg. He had been told it would never work again, not really anyway. This town didn’t have any doctor who was advanced enough to heal the shattered bones in his kneecap.

Jack wrapped his hand over Crutchie’s unbroken leg and smiled at the boy. Crutchie could see the tears in his eyes and the hope that had completely shattered in his heart. 

“I know the doctors said that they couldn’t fix your leg, but…” Jack looked out at the sunset in front of them. “They said that the doctors in another city might help. The Doctors might be able to fix your leg in Santa Fe.”


	4. Modern AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU.  
> Told in the perspective of David. Pure fluff...  
> (Not connected to the first two...)

*Ping!*

David looked down from his work at the phone that had just pinged from beside the stove. He was busy making dinner for Les, and his hands were both full with a pot and spoon so he couldn’t make the reach for his phone.

“Les!” David yelled, his head angling back to see through the doorway.

David’s small brother ran into the room, his hands covered in black paint. His brown hair was ruffled and his cheeks were red with apparent excitement. In his hands he clutched a white piece of paper, scrawled over with words that were unreadable to David.

“Yes, Davey?” The small boy asked, putting his hands behind his back, as though only now realizing that the paper was in plain view of his older brother. “What did you call me for?”

David glared playfully at Les. “I thought I told you not to call me that?” David chastised the small boy. “It’s bad enough when Jack says it, I don’t need you saying it too!”

David couldn’t keep a straight face, and neither could Les. They both began to giggle uncontrollably. Les tried to speak through his giggle fit, as David turned his head back to the stove.

“Les, wash your hands.” David began. “And after that could you please check the phone for me?”

“Is it Jack?” The small boy asked, walking over to the sink, and pulling over a stepping-stool to stand on and wash his paint-stained hands. He set his paper on the counter, and excitedly started washing his hands. “Can I say hi?”

“How would I know if it was Jack?” David asked the boy, looking over at his brother. “Why do you think I am asking you to check?”

Les finished washing his hands and walked over to his brother, holding up his clean hands to his brother, searching for approval before touching the phone.

“Are they good Davey?” He asked innocently as David glanced over at the boy’s slightly dripping hands, and smirked.

“Towel?” David said, reminding the boy to dry his hands. 

Les glared sulkily at David, hands reaching for the towel that was hung on a drawer handle. He dried his hands quickly and tossed the towel onto the counter. “Better?!” He asked, already making a grab for the phone resting on the counter.  
David smiled at the impatient child and waited for him to read out the message. 

“It is Jack!” Les said, “He sent you a picture and wrote, um… ‘At work ...with... Crutchie!” Les held up the phone for David to see. The two boys in the picture were perched on a bench together, a stack of newspapers shared in their hands. They were smiling huge smiles, their other hands were joined together making a heart shape. 

David looked at the picture and smiled. Sometimes those two were just so obvious. He couldn’t understand how they didn’t seem to notice that their love for each other was obviously more than the love for a friend. The two boys seemed to be so ignorant. The whole group had a betting pool put together for how long it would take for the two to confess, but it hadn’t happened yet. 

David turned back to his food, moving to grab a stick of butter. “Can you reply to them for me, Les?” He asked as he moved about the kitchen.

“Sure!” Les replied to David. “What should I write?”

David smiled evilly. “Write, ‘Get a room you two. In all caps.”

“What does that mean?” Les asked, already typing the words quickly. David would swear that that kid was better with technology than he ever would be.

You’ll learn that when you get older.” He said, smug. 

Les pouted at him. “Meanie.” He said, leaving the kitchen.

David hoped they would get together soon.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was two months later when it happened. The news came in the form of a picture.

In the picture Jack and Crutchie sat side by side, a red thread tying each of their ring fingers to each other. On the bottom of their photo were the words, 

“We are nothing alone, but together we are home.”

Naturally David denied all of Les’s claims that he had been crying in his room at the sight of the two boys so happy and in love.


	5. The Paper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "What was on Les's paper in the modern AU?"

Les sang quietly under his breath, his eyes focused on the paper in front of him. He held it up, careful not to let the paint smear on the page. 

Les was proud of his work, he just had to wait for the paper to dry before it was done, then he could show it to David. He couldn’t wait for his brother to praise his hard work. 

“Les!” He heard his name from the kitchen, where his brother was busy making him his dinner.  
“Coming!” He yelled in reply, knowing that David wouldn’t have heard his small voice, due to all the noise coming from the kitchen. He didn’t even put down his paper as he raced towards the kitchen.

“Yes, Davey?” Les asked, his breath slightly jagged and a smirk covering his face. He knew that his brother didn’t like it when he called him that. He watched his brother turn, a playful glare covering his face. 

Les remembered the paper that was clutched in his hands just then. Les gave him an innocent smile, his evil grin hidden behind it. “What did you call me for?”

“I thought I told you not to call me that?” David said, only making Les grin wider. “It’s bad enough when Jack says it, I don’t need you saying it too!” 

Les couldn’t stop the laugh that burst from his lips, and he didn’t try to. He and his brother both burst out laughing. Les tried his best to keep the paper hidden from his older brother as he went to wash his hands. 

He set the piece of paper on the counter, knowing that his brother couldn’t see it well enough for him to read what was written on it. He finished washing his hands, making sure his brother approved before he grabbed the phone, showing the message to his brother. 

After his brother had seen the picture he put the phone down, intentionally leaving his paper on the counter. He watched with a devilish expression as his brother finished cooking and moved over to the paper that Les had left behind.

He raised the paper up, his eyes moving with the words on the paper:

Dear Big Brother,

This is Les here, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for watching over and protecting me.

I am happy that you try so hard for me, even if it is a bit boring to be safe all the time. 

I love you.

Les.

Les watched in surprise as tears started trailing down his brother’s cheeks. Les walked into the kitchen, his hands clenched behind his back and his eyes looking down shyly. David watched as little Les approached, and was surprised when he suddenly threw his arms around the older sibling.

“I love you.” Les said, his face buried in David’s shirt. David put the paper down on the counter behind him and drew Les into his arms.

“I love you too…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I am back with another mini fanfic for my friend. This one is kinda bad but... oh well. Thanks for reading it anyway. See you next time.


	6. Before the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kinda a sequel to the Modern AU?   
> Prompt: "How they met in the Modern AU."

Crutchie was ready to walk through the door. His hand was resting on the doorknob when he began to rethink the decisions that had brought him to this point. He remembered the car crash that killed his parents, and broke his leg beyond repair. He remembered the months of therapy that it took to be able to walk again. He remembered the family that refused to take him in, the social worker who was still trying to find him a guardian. 

All of this had led him to where he was now. Standing at the door of a support group for orphans who were emancipated. Crutchie felt awkward standing in front of this door which was surely full of people who were more adult than a small teenager who was disabled and not even completely free from the bonds of childhood.

Crutchie steeled his nerves and reached for the door handle, twisting it and pushing gently on the hard wood of the door.

It was a large room filled to the brim with kids who seemed to be almost the same age as him, and they were all laughing and talking with one another. A whiteboard sat in the corner, the words “Meet and Greet: Newsies” sprawled across it in big blue marker.

Crutchie wondered at the title on the board. What did Newsies have to do with emancipated teenagers? He looked around him for someone to speak with, his hands sweating on his crutches. In the corner of the room he saw a small group who was just watching the others mingle, in fact they seemed to be interacting with each other in a silent casual way.

Crutchie began to hobble over to the quiet group, not wanting to disturb those who were already deep in conversation. The small group was made up of three teens; One was a tall boy who looked as though he hadn't slept in days, another was a happy looking man wearing glasses who seemed especially close to the tired boy, and the final was a tall handsome man who seemed to be the most obviously charismatic of the group.

As Crutchie slowly approached the group he masked his face in a happy smile-his parents had always told him that his smile was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. When he finally reached the small group of boys he felt confident that he could make a good impression.

“H-Hello.” He said, stuttering nervously. “I’m Crutchie.”

The boys each looked him up and down, smiles on each of their faces. 

“Hi!” said the boy with glasses. “I’m Specs. Is your name really Crutchie?!”

Crutchie smiled at him, laughing a bit. “Yes, that is my really name. Ironic isn’t it?”

“Yeah!” Said Specs, his head nodding rapidly. “Right Jack?”

Specs turned to the tall boy who he had referred to as Jack.

“I am not sure you can say anything about ironic names Specs.” Jack said smirking at the boy. While Specs blushed and rubbed the back of his neck Jack turned to Crutchie, knowledge glimmering in his deep brown eyes. 

“My name is Jack.” He said slowly. “That one is Race, and you’ve already met Specs. Welcome to the Newsies.”

“Newsies?” Crutchie asked tentatively. “What does that mean?”

“Well,” Race interjected himself into the conversation. “The Newsies used to be kids who would work selling newspapers for unfair prices, and most of them were all alone and left to fend for themselves. We thought it was a good comparison!”

Race nodded rapidly, his head moving like a bobble-head. Crutchie laughed at the image.

“So you’re all… Newsies?” Crutchie asked when he had finally caught his breath. “Thats cool.”

Jack winked at him, “If you’re here that means you’re one too.”

“N-no.” Crutchie said quickly, “I’m not officially emancipated yet-”

“No matter what stage,” Jack interjected, looking pointedly at Crutchie. “Newsies support one another.”

Crutchie looked into his eyes. “Ok.”

Crutchie spent the rest of that meeting with those three, and attended every meeting after. Sometimes there would be different people in the group-Jack seemed to know everyone-but Crutchie always stayed with Jack. 

It took almost a month for them to start seeing each other outside of meetings, but when they did they were instant friends. They cared for one another in every way they could, and they both knew that they would do anything to protect each other. They knew they always would. No matter what might lie ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another prompt from my friend and a fic by me. Um.. I want to thank everyone who has been reading this, it's nice to know that my friend isn't just trying to flatter me by saying they're good. Thank you all!


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